Two weeks ago, Advance Abingdon placed 27 painted wolf statues around town to recall Abingdon’s earliest name, Wolf Hill.  On Monday, June 22, two of the painted wolves were missing.  Everyone jumped to the knee-jerk conclusion that the two were stolen.  Happily, less than a week later, the two were discovered in some bushes at the Washington County Public Library.  Gary Kimbrell and other promoters heaved a great sigh of relief.

Independence Day invites us to reflect on all kinds of things, including what it means to be a good American.  Since 1776, that meaning has evolved with various Congressional acts.

A few years ago, the Patriot Act served as a reminder.  This act, among other things, gave law enforcement agencies more license to search private records if national security may be at risk.  The fine line between personal privacy and the public good blurred some.

For my high school friend, Cole Wilder, playing in the NCAA tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum as a member of the Radford Highlanders on March 19 was unquestionably one of the greatest experiences of his life.  “Growing up it was always my dream to play in the tournament,” he told me recently.  “It was a long journey and the destination was fantastic.” 

Cowboy Jack Vipperman arrived riding a pigeon-toed mule named Jezebel.  He’d ridden all the way from Black Lick and his muscles ached.  The mule’s hips swayed back and forth like a fat woman trying to shake, rattle and roll.  Up the hill they came until they reached the barn.

The weathered old barn sits proudly on the crest of the hill overlooking its Southwest Virginia valley.

The seats were great, but I was not in a great mood. The Phantom of the Opera had come to Charlotte’s Belk Theatre. As we were already in town, it was Linda’s idea that we go. I, on the other hand, was a reluctant patron.

Unfortunately, a longstanding tradition in Appalachia has been that healthcare was often difficult to find due to the lack of healthcare professionals in the region. However, while not at the forefront of easy access to quality healthcare, the outlook for the region, particularly in this area, has improved greatly.

Piney pondered the old age hazard of getting deaf and losing your memory. It wasn’t all bad.

When the news announced Farrah Fawcett’s death, June 25, I was plunged back in time to seventh grade, when we kids began learning what really mattered in life.

Staring at the television screen, the man said, “That is nothing but a waste of time.” A handful of us were sitting in a car dealer’s waiting room. The wall-mounted television was replaying part of the President’s speech in Cairo to the Muslim people. The man was looking at his wife when he made the remark, but he spoke in a way that everyone in the room could hear. I said nothing, but looked up at him. Without invitation he explained, “It is a waste of time to talk to those people about peace. There will never be peace with them. That is what the Bible says.”